The Hopper Goetschius House is located on the northwest corner of Lake St. and East Saddle River Rd. in Upper Saddle River, Bergen County, NJ. Abraham Hopper [#54 born 1710)] is credited with building the house, believed to be the oldest existing Hopper homestead, which is now a museum. [He is the only known Abraham Hopper, old enough to have owned property and built a house in 1737.] When Charles Clinton made a survey of the Cheescocks Patent in New York State (part of it was in what is now Upper Saddle River, Bergen County, New Jersey), in 1737 he mentioned, that Abraham Hopper had acquired the land there several years earlier from a Dr. Johnson. He wrote “Abraham Hopper this year built a stone house.” He was probably referring to the front room in the west wing of the house, which historians say is typical of a one room house of that era. Later a second room was added, and the loft converted to a second floor, the main section was probably built ca. 1800. He apparently sold the property to his brother (See #55) as on 26 Feb 1773, Abram Hoppe of Franklin Twp. and Rebecca his wife sold to John A. Hopper of New Barbadoes (for £65), premises in Franklin Twp., on east side of Saddle River, between Hendrick Hoper [sic] and Jacob Ackerman (Brg.Co. Deeds K-2/484 et.al Durie abstract)”. . . John Hopper is shown as the owner of the house on Erskine’s Revolutionary War map.” [ See The Hopper Family Genealogy Vol. I, #54 and #55].
John and his descendants lived in the house until 1814, when it was sold to Rev. Stephen Goetschius, the domine of both the local Saddle River and Pascack Reformed DutchChurches. The last Goetschius residents were the Rev. Goetschius’ grandson, also named Stephen, and his wife, Lizzie Carlough. In 1985 the house was presented to the Borough of Upper Saddle River by Clinton and Grace Carlough. Clinton was Lizzie’s nephew.
The Upper Saddle River Historical Society now operates the house and several outbuildings as a museum.[ See https://www.usrhistoricalsociety.org for more on this house and visiting hours.]
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 10, 1983, for its significance in architecture and exploration/settlement.In 1980 on the NJ Record of Historical Sites as part of the Early Stone Houses of Bergen County Survey.